I am heading down to Hilton Head with my Gheenoe next week, and fortunately will have more spare time on my hands than I thought. As I take time to adjust to that fact, I am now trying to learn as much as possible about the fishing down there. I have limited experience fishing in the salt, which has all been done on the gulf thus far. I am of course a freshwater guy, spending the majority of my time on tailwaters and lakes. The Atlantic coast will be a whole new world for me, and I would greatly appreciate any information on recommended gear setups, general patterns, and of course, boat access.

My rig is a Gheenoe Classic with a 25hp Yamaha on it. I can get really skinny with it, but I know I have much to learn about the tides and local waterways. Is there a preferred source for charts? Any rules of thumb to look for regarding water levels and fishing in the area would be immensely helpful. Also are there any good shops locally? And of course, any and all information will be greatly appreciated as I am just trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. If anyone on here lives in the area down there, I wouldn't mind taking you out on the water as long as you don't mind me picking your brain..... No worries, I won't ask for honeyholes, just the basics. Thanks so much and have a great day.

Braton,
The redfishing is good this time of year. Crab patterns, spoon flies, shrimp patterns, and minnow patterns can produce well. I like to use a 7-9 wt rod with wf floating fly line. On the low tides you can look for fish on shallow mud flats. On the higher tides (7.6-8.3 uncorrected at the savannah river mouth) you can find reds tailing in the high tide flats.

Remember we get up to 10 foot tides here (range from low to high) so boating can be challenging. A top spot map will give you plenty of places to try....as far as charts go I am a non-boater at this point.

Bay Street Outfitters in Beaufort is my local fly shop and they can help you with information, flies, etc. You can talk to Tony, Tuck, or Owen and they will help you out. (843) 524-5250. Let them know that John sent you.

John,
Thanks a ton for the information, hugely helpful. I will head over to Bay Street when I get into town and get myself squared away. I am sure this will be a very humbling experience for me, but I'm just excited to have so much time to fish! Thanks again, and I will post pics and results as I go. Tight lines,
Braton